MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Hundreds of people were evacuated from a downtown office building after a fire erupted, filling the 22-story structure with smoke.
The blaze began Tuesday afternoon on the 14th floor of the Bank One Plaza, Fire Chief William Wentlandt said. A man and two women were checked for smoke inhalation and later released. The cause of the blaze wasn't immediately determined.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, smoke was spiraling upward to the 22nd floor, Deputy Fire Chief Warren Skonieczny said. Some floors had sprinklers and others did not appear to have them.
"The damage is extensive, lots of smoke, lots of water damage,'' Skonieczny said. There was no immediate estimate of the cost of the damage, officials said.
About 300 Bank One employees occupy at least half of the building, Bank One spokeswoman Mary Kay Bean said. The building is located next to the Milwaukee River.
